Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: Local Restrictions - GOV.UK GOV.UK

02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK GOV.UK

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Guidance Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions

Find out what you can and cannot do if you live, work or travel in areas of the north of England.

Published 22 August 2020 Last updated 1 September 2020 — see all updates

From: Department of Health and Social Care (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health- and-social-care)

Contents

Affected local areas Local restrictions

An outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been identified in parts of Blackburn, Oldham and Pendle. The government and relevant local authorities are acting together to control the spread of the virus.

Restrictions apply to the specified areas below.

Affected local areas

Oldham (whole area) Pendle (whole area subject to wider restrictions, but the following parts have additional restrictions): Whitefield Walverden Southfield Bradley Clover Hill Brierfield Marsden Blackburn with Darwen (areas affected): Audley & Queen’s Park Bastwell & Daisyfield Billinge & Beardwood Blackburn Central https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 1/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK Little Harwood & Whitebirk Roe Lee Shear Brow & Corporation Park Wensley Fold Local restrictions were lifted in the following areas to align with the rest of the country on 26 August: Blackburn South & Lower Darwen Blackburn South East Darwen East Darwen South Darwen West Ewood Livesey with Pleasington Mill Hill & Moorgate West Pennine

Local restrictions

Business and venue closures

The following settings alongside the existing business closures must not open in any of the affected areas outlined on this guidance:

casinos skating rinks bowling alleys indoor play areas, including soft play areas exhibition centres and conference halls

We advise that the following settings and activities should not reopen or restart for all areas covered by this page:

indoor performances (even with a social distanced audience) close contact services, which are any treatments on the face such as eyebrow threading or make-up application

In Blackburn with Darwen (as per the areas affected above), the following must also remain closed:

indoor gyms indoor fitness and dance studios indoor sports courts and facilities indoor swimming pools, including indoor facilities at water parks

If you live in these areas, you can still visit any open premises, but should avoid socialising with people you do not live with (or have formed a support bubble with).

Social contact restrictions https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 2/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK If you live in one of the affected areas, in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus you must not:

host people you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected area, unless they’re in your support bubble

Your household is only the people you live with and any support bubble.

A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.

The police will be able to take action against those that break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing fixed penalty notices starting at £100 for those who participate in illegal gatherings.

People aged 18 or over can be fined:

£100 for the first offence, lowered to £50 if paid within 14 days £200 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £3,200

The government has also introduced fines for those who hold illegal gatherings of over 30 people. Holding or being involved in the holding of an illegal gathering (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe- social-distancing-after-4-july#meeting-family-and-friends) of more than 30 people is an offence, and Police may issue fines of £10,000 to those who break the law.

You should not:

visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances

In the specific areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and Pendle with additional restrictions, you should not:

socialise with people you do not live with at indoor public venues. This applies to inside and outside of the affected areas. Examples of indoor public venues include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions socialise with people you do not live with at outdoor public venues such as parks. This applies to inside and outside of the affected areas

People can still come inside your home or garden for specific purposes, set out in law (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/828/regulation/5):

where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble to attend a birth at the mother’s request to visit a person who is dying (the visitor can be someone the dying person lives with, a close family member, friend or, if none of those is visiting, anyone else) to fulfil a legal obligation

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 3/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK for work purposes, or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services (see guidance on working safely in other people’s homes) for the purposes of education or training for the purposes of childcare provided by a registered provider to provide emergency assistance to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm to facilitate a house move to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents.

See guidance on working safely in other people’s homes (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely- during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes)

If you operate a business or organise events within the affected areas you should take steps to ensure people do not socialise with people they do not live with, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance.

If you operate a hospitality venue (including restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes) inside the areas with additional restrictions (all of Oldham and parts of Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle) then we advise that you should halt walk-ins, and only seat people who make reservations in advance, up to a maximum of six people per table from the same household. You should also take steps to ensure that people do not socialise outside of their households inside and outside your premises.

Travel restrictions

You should follow all relevant transport guidance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer- travel-guidance-for-passengers) when making a journey into, within or out of the affected areas.

You must wear a face covering (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for- passengers#face-coverings) on public transport and in substantially enclosed areas of transport hubs in England. You will be breaking the law if you fail to do so and could be fined. Some people don’t have to wear a face covering (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for- passengers#exemptions-face-coverings) including for age, health, or disability reasons.

You should try not to share a car with those outside your household or support bubble. If you need to, try to:

share the car with the same people each time keep to small groups of people at any one time open windows for ventilation travel side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them, where seating arrangements allow consider seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle clean your car between journeys using standard cleaning products – make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch ask the driver and passengers to wear a face covering (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus- covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#face-coverings)

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 4/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK See more guidance on car sharing and travelling with people outside your household group. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-safer-travel-guidance-for-passengers#private-cars-and- other-vehicles)

You can travel outside your area. However, you must not meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas, unless they’re in your support bubble.

We also advise that if you are a resident of the specific areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham or Pendle with additional restrictions, you should not meet people at indoor or outdoor public venues who are not members of your household.

You can still go on holiday outside of your area, but you should only do this with people you live with (or have formed a support bubble with).

There is separate guidance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-holidays-in-areas-with-local- coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions) on what to do if you have booked holiday accommodation in an area with local restrictions.

In the areas listed above with additional restrictions (all of Oldham and parts of Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle), you should only use public transport for essential reasons. For example:

to get to and from work to get essential food or medical supplies including click and collect services to support someone who is vulnerable, if no-one else can do so for exercise, locally where possible to travel to and from the homes of others in your support bubble to attend an Early Years setting, school or college, or to accompany a child who is attending an Early Years setting, school or college, where necessary

Can I play sport?

You can play a team sport only where this is formally organised by a sports club or similar organisation, and sports-governing body guidance has been issued. A list of governing bodies which have had guidance reviewed can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus- covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-phased-return-of- outdoor-sport-and-recreation). You can play individual sports in alignment with guidance here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and- recreation/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-phased-return-of-outdoor-sport-and-recreation). We advise that all other sports activities should not take place with people who you do not live with at indoor and outdoor public venues.

Weddings and funerals

Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and funerals can still go ahead in these areas, but they should have no more than 30 people.

These events should comply with the COVID-19 secure guidance and venue capacity. See detailed guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19- guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil- partnerships)

People living outside of these areas can travel to these areas to attend a wedding, civil partnership ceremony or funeral, but they must not meet with another household in a private home or garden. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 5/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK However, in the areas listed above with additional restrictions (all of Oldham and parts of Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle), a maximum of 20 people should attend these events. This should be limited to close family of the people getting married or the person who has died, or people who live(d) or formed a support bubble with them. A close friend can attend a funeral only if there are no household members or immediate families.

Can I go to religious ceremonies or places of worship? Can I go to places of worship?

You may attend a mosque, church, synagogue, temple or other place or worship, but you should socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings).

If possible, prayer or religious services should take place outdoors.

Going to work

People living inside and outside of these areas can continue to travel in and out for work. Workplaces should implement COVID-19 secure guidance.

From 22 August, the local authorities for the affected areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and the specified areas of Pendle will be undertaking stronger enforcement to ensure workplaces are COVID-19 Secure.

Childcare

You can continue to use registered childcare provision, including childminders and holiday childcare providers (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs- and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for- out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak). You can also continue to employ nannies – see guidance on working safely in other people’s homes (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely- during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes).

Friends or family who do not live with you cannot visit your home to help with childcare unless they are part of your support bubble. The only people who can help you with childcare in your home are people you live with, people in your support bubble, or registered childcare providers including nannies.

Children of parents who are separated are allowed to move between households. The law includes an exemption to allow parents and children who are not part of the same household to continue an arrangement for access or contact to each other.

Testing (for schools and further education colleagues)

The local authorities for the affected areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and the specified areas of Pendle will be undertaking enhanced testing for schools and further education colleges across areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19.

Schools (face coverings)

In education settings where Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education) should be worn by adults (staff and visitors) and pupils when moving around, such as in corridors and

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions 6/7 02/09/2020 Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham, Pendle: local restrictions - GOV.UK communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. It is not usually necessary to wear face coverings in the classroom, where protective measures already mean the risks are lower, and they may inhibit teaching and learning.

Can I move home?

Yes. Estate and letting agents as well as removals firms can continue to work and people looking to move home can continue to undertake viewings.

Published 22 August 2020 Last updated 1 September 2020 + show all updates

1. 1 September 2020 Added advice that residents of the specific areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Oldham and Pendle with additional restrictions should not meet people at indoor or outdoor public venues who are not members of their household. 2. 22 August 2020 First published.